• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, April 20, 2012

Video is on pace to account for about half of all Web traffic by 2014, according to a just-released report from Experian on consumer media habits.

No surprise there, but what’s interesting is where video consumption is coming from. Mobile video traffic is on a quick upward trajectory as more people watch YouTube videos and TV shows on their cell phones and tablets, but mobile video traffic is also rising because of email, and specifically because of brand videos in email communications.

Think about it. You wake up in the morning and one of the first things you do is check your email on your phone. If an email from a brand has a video link that interests you, chances are you watch it now on your smartphone instead of waiting until you turn on the computer.

Experian projects 28% of smartphone owners will watch videos on their phones in an average month in its 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report.

“Expect to see much more video in email throughout the next year. Video is an effective tool to help drive website traffic, sell products and engage email subscribers,” Experian said.

When marketers used the word “video” in an email subject line, open rates rose 7% to 13%, Experian said. Also, video in an email drove an average 21% higher conversion rate, and a 24% higher average order value when compared to emails that relied on static images, the report said, citing data from video commerce firm Liveclicker. For marketers looking to boost their video content, Experian suggests shooting on-location events, customer testimonials at trade shows, and meetings with co-workers.